Screen Gems working on a Slender Man movie adaptation

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Move over Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, there's a new horror icon set to scare the living daylights out of moviegoers. The movie studio behind such horror films as The Mothman Prophecies, Boogeyman, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Hostel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- as well as the Resident Evil and Underworld movie franchises -- is currently hard at work on a big-screen adaptation of Slender Man.

According to Comicbook.com, Screen Gems is developing a movie based on the popular horror Internet meme, and they’re not wasting any time. Apparently they already have a script from David Birke (13 Sins) ready, and they are eying a production start in the fall of 2016 for a 2017 release. So, who is Slender Man?

Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character created as an Internet meme for a contest by Something Awful forums user Eric Knudsen, aka “Victor Surge,” back in 2009. The goal was to take everyday photos and put a supernatural twist on them. Knudsen posted two very creepy photos of children with a thin, featureless, unnaturally tall man, who is wearing a black suit and standing behind them.

Slender Man abducted children and influenced people into committing terrible acts. As the character became viral, other users added to the character’s complex lore, leading to appearances in some short films, video games and pop culture references. The character has become so popular that Ryan Murphy wanted to use him as a possible Season 6 villain for American Horror Story.

What do you think of Slender Man getting his own movie adaptation over at Screen Gems?